“Flor, how does my wig look? Do you like it, or shall I get it in another color?” Those were the exact words my best friend had once texted me. I said “I LOVE it, you look beautiful!” Margot, was a beautiful young woman, she was full of life, with a heart of gold and with long straight hair, like the ones you see in a commercial. But due to chemo treatment she had lost her hair. It was emotional, to say the least, but she put a smile on and rocked those wigs like no one else! After all, hair was the least of her worries, when she was trying to beat cancer.

That’s why today September 8th is a very special day for me, today is National Donate Your Hair day and it also marks the beginning of The Pantene Beautiful Lengths #8or8 Challenge, which asks people to donate $8 or cut 8” of hair to help create real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer. I think this is great because it lets everyone get involved. If you can’t donate hair but still want to help women fighting cancer, you can easily make a monetary donation to the Beautiful Lengths Fund.

This campaign hits very close to home because I saw my best friend, Margot, fight cancer and while doing it she lost her hair as well. I know what these women endure and how hard this battle is … I’ve sat there and listened to a few women cry, scream, sob and get depressed over this horrible disease. And on top of that, loosing their hair doesn’t make it any easier. That’s why I think this is an amazing cause that could help so many women in need of wigs.

Rewind to a year ago … I was on Facebook updating my status when I stumble upon my gorgeous cousin Kelita’s picture. I sat there and tears started rolling down my face. There she was with the biggest smile for somebody battling breast cancer could have, and with a lob … she too, was wearing a wig. I was crying because I could not believe cancer had hit another beautiful soul and somebody that I love deeply. Kelita is my favorite cousin and while growing up in Peru I looked up to her. She was the most beautiful girl with a gorgeous smile, a heart of gold and hair deserving of an award. I talked to her right after I saw her picture and she was funny and sweet as ever. One would have never guessed that she was battling cancer. This is another reason why I’m completely devoted to this #8or8 Challenge. I believe together we can create more wigs for these amazing women. Let’s do it, Queens!!!!

So, are you wondering how can you help this cause? It’s very simple; for one, you can donate your beautiful healthy hair to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program by visiting your local salon, measure a ponytail of at least 8 inches and make the cut. If you are interested in donating your hair, here are the hair donations requirements:

Each hair donation must be at least 8 inches long

Hair may be colored with vegetable dyes, rinses and semi-permanent dyes. It cannot be bleached, permanently colored or chemically treated.

Gray hair is difficult to use in the wig-making process, so hair may not be more than 5% gray at the time of donation

But if you can’t donate your hair for many reasons, in my case I can’t donate it because it has been chemically treated, you can still help this cause by donating $8to The Pantene Beautiful Lenghts Fund, which was founded in 2014 with the hopes to give individuals like myself the opportunity to provide our support to this great cause. The fund accepts monetary donations and 100% of contributions made to The Pantene Beautiful Lenghts Fund go directly to helping create free, real-hair wigs for women battling cancer.

Since my family and I can’t donate our hair we have already donated $8.